1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video presentation and, more particularly, to presenting user-created textual annotations synchronously with the playing of a video recording.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet has been an instrumental tool for the development of online communities. Members of these communities typically share their knowledge and thoughts about a particular interest. This sharing is often in the form of static textual annotations. For example, many Web sites that offer a repository of cooking recipes allow for users to rate the recipes and post a review of their experience using the recipe.
While static annotating is satisfactory for many subjects, it lacks accessibility and synchronicity in regards to video recordings. A user must be able to read the annotations while viewing the video, which divides the user's attention and decreases their viewing experience. Furthers it can be difficult to put a static annotation in the proper context of the video. For example, a note stating that a character's shoe is untied is meaningless without information regarding where in the video this note is relevant. Even with a scene description, relating a static annotation to a corresponding point in the video can still be problematic.
Often, multiple applications and/or windows must be used in order for a user to access both the video and annotations, which can detrimentally affect the performance of the viewing device. This is of particular concern for resource-constrained devices, such as mobile phones and personal data assistants, which are becoming a popular choice for portable Internet connectivity.
What is needed is a solution that allows users to create and view textual annotations while playing a video recording. That is, a user can annotate a video at the scenes where their annotation applies and have the annotation displayed with the video. Ideally, a user can share their set of annotations about a video recording in an online community setting, where other users can view and rate their annotations.